Vacuum-tank for fuel-feed systems.



G. A. ARNOLD. VACUUM TANK FOR FUEL FEED SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. l. 1917.

Patented m1481919.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY @ART il..

A. ARNOLD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 JAMES A. ABELES.

VACUUM-TANK FOR FUEL-FEED SYSTEMS,

Lesiones.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. Si. 2li.

Mii

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that`l, Geenen A. AnNoLnf a. citi/len of the United States, and resident of Boston. in the county o Suiiollt and State ot lilnssacliusetts, hure invented certain new and useful Improvements in `Vacuum-Tanlts for Fuel-Feed Systems, ot' which the following is a speciticution.

n my prior applicationr` Serial No. 189,287, Sept. 1, 1917, l have disclosed zi gasolene register' adapted to be operated by the inter mittently formed vacuum in the fuel feed tank of certain types of liquid feeding sysn tems for internal combustion engines. My present invention relates particularly to the construction of mechanism within the tank and has for its object to insure the accurate dumping of predetermined quantities ot the liquid 'uel within the trink.

ln the tanks to which my present invention is particularly ,applicable3 there are formed .two compartments or chambers through Which the gosolene or other liquid fuel passes in succession. One oftliese is provided with a ioat and Valve mechanism whereby this chamber may be connected "to the intake manifold or other source of partial vacuum and at the same time connected to the mitin. fuel tank so that. the partial Vacuum in the compartment will draw up gasolene from the supply tank. The aising of the float to :i predetermined position operates to reverse the vaire mechanism, close the vacuum communication and open an air Vent so that the in-tlow oi" gasolene will.

stop and the gasolene may tion' by gravity to the other or lower compartment and from which it may flow to the carburetor.

ln the constructions .now commonly cm ployed. the reversing' ot the Valve mechenism accomplished by mcuns ot one or more springs thrown pust dead center by the float. Y Due to variations in the character or tension oit' these springs, different tanks. although apparent-ly of the samtconstruction, will 'operate to reverse the valve mechanism and dump diterentquant-ities oi the liquid after different quantities have passed from 'the upper to the lower compartment. the quantity passing between successive rever- Sals ot the valve mechanism varying with the character of the controlling' springs, ln my improved construction. l provide means whereby the necessity for these springs is ln the accompzmy-ing drawing, l have Aillustrated one embodiment of my invention,

the said drawing showing,` zi central Vert-ical section through the device.

I have illustrated my invention as being' embodied in a .liquid fuel feeding apparatus of the character illustrated in the Jay Pao ent No. 1,l25,549,but l do not Wish to be in any way limited to the specific features of construction which are here she-wn the same as in the Jay patent. and which. `form no partof my invention.

l have shown merely the auxiliary tank having en outer casing0 l@ and an inner cos.- ing,T ll united at their upper ends and closed by a cover l2. The inner casing 1l. 'nos its periphe 'al wall spaced from they peripheral wall of the outerl cosiner andits botto-m spaced above the bottom of the outer cosine; so as to form'two compartments 13 and lll.

-lhese communicate through e. check valve controlled' passage 15 in the bottom of the inner and outer compartment. The 'cover has a gasolene supply pipe 16, e vacuum pipe l? adapted to beconnected to the intake manifold or other source of low pressure and a vent pipe i8, one end ot' which may open to the atmosphere. The cover is elsoshown as having e passage 19 whereby the outer or lower compartment lli may et all times communiczite with the atn'iosA phere.

it the inner ends of the vacuum and vent npcs are valve sea-ts 2G and 2l and coperating with these seats are valves 22 and in the art as they form no portion ot'my presen-t invention.

l'i'ithin the inner com]iertment. there is u ioat 'x25 mounted to slide on n tube 2T which,

in the wall ot the tube. positioned below and above the latter may be rigidly supported in any suitable. manner. l have shown the'lug as having a epending arm 28 attached to one sidethereof and with its lower endbent at right angles and rigidly connected to the upper end of the tube-127. 1Within the tube 2T is a vertically movable rod 29 having va pair o pins 30 and 3l. projecting outward radially therefrom. The lower pin 30 is bclow the lower end of the tube 2T while the upper pin 31 extends out through a slot 32 'lhese two pins are float respectively and are spaced apart a sutlicicnti distance to permit the desired movement ot' the float independently of the rod. The upper end ot' the rod connectcdgby an arm 33 to one end of the lever Z-l so that as the rod is' raised or lowered by the ioat, the lever :Z-l may be swung to operate the'valve mechanism.

To positive-ly insurefthe locking ofl the valve mechanism in a predetern'iined position until after the float has moved to its given position, and 'to thereby insure the operation of the valve mechanism after exact and predetenmined quantities ol liquid have accumulate( in the upper con1) ia1tnient, l provide the lever 24 with an extension J-l-l arrying a roller 555 at its outer or free end. rllhe cover has a depending'lug 36 carrying a stop l? in the path ol the roller 35i Thisstop is sholvn as a pin having a hemispherical end and slidable in a tubular guide 38 and 'normally held in operative position by a ve y light spring 3l), A furthe-r vcrv,

light spring' i( nay encircle the valve rod of the valve 22 and normally press it lightly toward its aat.

The operation of my improved device is substantially follows:

lVith the parts in the position indicated in the drawing, the vent valve 22S is closed and the vacuum valve 22 is open. It' the engine he runninw, the resulting lowering ot' the pressiue in the compartment 13 will cause gasolene to iow up from the main tank through the pipe lli and slowly lill the compartment lf3. As thetioat rises7 it engages the pin 3l and `Further movement raises the rod 2f), arm 33 and lever 2i. The continual supply ot liquid raisesI the float and moves` the parts o icrated thereby until the roller 35 passes the rounded cud' oi" the stop 37. At this instant, the predcternlined amount of liquid has been receivlal and the pressure of the spring 3S) swings the lever past the dead center position and suddenly closes the vacuum valve and opens the vent valve 23. This destroys the vacuum and stops the in-tlow di" liquid. rThe parts will remain in this position until a sutiicient amount ot' liquid has flowed from or heen dumped from the uppercompartment into the. lower and the lowering at' the 'float hasI pulled down to shown in the drawing. and the valve mechamsm is reversed to again begin the irl-flow` ot liquid.

ily means of my improved valve controlling mechanism, I insure a more positive and accurate movement of thevalve mechamsm and enable the device to constitute an accurate and effective measure for the liquid fuel delivered tothe engine. By knowing the exact amountavhich flows into the upper compartment and which is necessary to raise the float and stop the in-low7 the vacuum tank may serve to operate a register of the character shown in my application above referred to. and permit the latter to register with great accuracy the amount of gasolene supplied to the engine.

As an important feature of my improved constructionr` l provide means whereby the v'ohuue dumped may he adjusted and each tank brought to a uniform standard. means ot' adjustment, I have shown the upper pin ill provided with an adjustingscrew 47 normally held by a lock nut. The float in rising strikes the lower end of `this aal- .iusting screw and through it raises the rod. The adjustment ot' the screw permits of a variation of the amount of lost. motion and this largely, it not wholly, determines the volume dumped.

l la ving thus described 1nyinvention,what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. An auxiliary fuel tank for vacuum feed systems, including upper and lower com-v pa rtments. the upper compartment having a fuel supply pipe and the lower compartment havin'r a fuel delivery pipe, a float within the upper compartment, valve mechanism operated by said float for alternately establishing communication between said upper compartment and the atmosphere and the source ot' vacuum, a leveroperated by said float for controlling, said valve mechanism, and a spring pressedv stop in the path ot' said lever and movable out of said path by the engagement of the lever therewith during the swinging of the latter and serving to hold the lever in either of two limiting positions.

2. An. auxiliary fuel tank for vacuum feed systems, including upper and lower compartments, the upper compartment having a it'uel supply pipe and the lower compartment having a fuel delivery pipe7 a float within the upper compartment, a valve mechanisn'i operated hy said float for alternately establishing' comn'iunication between.

As a

said upper compartment and the atmosphere and the source of vacuum, a lever operated by saidfloat for controlling said valve mecht anism, and a stop in the path of said lever and serving to hold the lever in either of two limiting positions, said lever` having a roller carried thereby and said stop being spring pressed and movable into or out of thepath of movement of saidV roller.

3. An auxiliary fuel tank for vacuum feed systems, including an upper compartment having a cover provided with a liquid fuel inlet, a vacuum gas outlet and an air vent,

a lug. depending from said cover, a lever pivoted on said lug, an inwardly opening valve for said gas outlet and connected to said `lever, an outwardly opening valve for said airvent and connected to said level', -a spring pressed stop in the path of movement of said lever and operating to holdl the same in either of two limiting positions, and a float connected to and serving to operate said lever.

4. An auxiliary tank for vacuum feed systems,`including a tank having valve mechanism for controlling the` communication between said tank and a source of vacuum or the atmosphere', a pivoted lever connected to said valve mechanism, a rigid"-sleeve Within said tank, a rod within said sleeve, a float mounted to move on said sleeve and -having lost motion connections with said'rod, and

an armconnecting said rod and said lever.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank, a liquid fuel pipe leading into the same, a vent pipe leading into said tank, an exhaust pipe leading into said tank,

valve mechanism coperating with the exnections, valve mechanism for controllingv the same, a rigid sleeve within said tank, a rod within said sleeve and having a pa-ir vof lspaced radially extending projections,

connections between said rod and said valve mechanism, a float mounted to move on said sleeve between said projections, and means carried by one of saidprojections for varying the extent of relative movement of the rod and float. f l

Signed at New,A York, in the county of New.

York andrState of New York, this 31st day of October, A. D. 1917.

f L a GEORGE A., ARNOLD. 

